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Somewhere in-between the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles and the honky tonk beer joints of rural 1950s California, you'll find Poi Rogers.
Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, the duo performs original and vintage American roots music, with Gerard Egan doubling on acoustic guitar and triple neck steel and Carolyn Sills on standup bass, their timeless harmonies anchoring the show.
Carolyn and Gerard won the 2018 and 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group (as ‘The Carolyn Sills Combo’). Carolyn was named the Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of 2020 and her clever lyrics have been published in the 'Lyrics as Poetry' chronicles. They performed at the 2024 Monterey Jazz Festival and are both Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame inductees.
What began as a fun way for the couple to explore the vintage musical styles they love turned into an in-demand touring act. Poi Rogers’s debut album, Twilight Blues, is a collection of songs that are both cinematic snapshots from Gerard and Carolyn’s life together and witty odes to their antiquated passions.
Poi Rogers debut album, Twilight Blues, was released in June of 2025, and hit #2 on the US alt-country charts
PRESS:
“Bassist Carolyn Sills and her guitarist husband, Gerard Egan - Santa Cruz's Les Paul and Mary Ford - crank out good stories, catchy love songs and creative chord progressions that will take listeners back to vibes of the post-World-War-II era. Carolyn is the real deal of throwback country music.” - Good Times Magazine
“… last week I spent Thursday night at The Side Door watching the duet Poi Rogers from Santa Cruz. This talented couple provided a sundown infused with their rare mix of cowboy campfire rhythms and blazing tiki bar tenderness. The audience absolutely loved it.” - Scott Thomas Anderson, Sacramento News & Review
“Sills' songs, written and produced with Gerard Egan, are an homage to jukebox Americana— tasty twang reminiscent of Merle Travis and Patsy Cline." - Monterey County NOW
“The punningly named duo channel 50s honky tonks and the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles with both self-penned and vintage Americana, playfulness being the keynote… a real joy, happy trails indeed.” - Mike Davies, folking.com UK (read full review here)
“Twilight Blues sits at the edge of the Western Swing world — less barroom, more beachfront. A little surf, a little prairie, a little salt in the air. It’s shaping up to be a mood record. A California mood, even if it doesn’t call itself that. For fans of vintage Americana, steel guitar, or modern storytelling with classic bones, this release is one to keep an eye on… - Meghan ‘Mae’ McCoy, Western Swing Society
AWARDS:
2024 and 2018 Ameripolitan Award Winners, Western Swing Group (for The Carolyn Sills Combo)
2023 Ameripolitan Award Nominee, Western Swing Female (also nominated 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
2021 Academy of Western Artists’ Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year
2019 Inductees to The Sacremento Western Swing Hall of Fame
Visit the homepage for 2025 tour dates
CONTACT:
General Contact/Booking:
poirogersmusic@gmail.com
Radio:
Angela Backstrom / angelabackstrompromo@gmail.com
Marketing:
Blair Clark - blair@brooklynbasementrecords.com
Susan Hamilton - susan@brooklynbasement.co